Last night was so crazy. I was assembling my costume for PoA, and after raiding everyone in my family's closets (hah, there's an amusing misplaced modifier for you) and coming up empty, I called my sister at her apartment and asked her if I could raid her closet as well. The weather made it clear that a storm was brewing, but I figured I could get there and back before it broke. When I was about halfway there, I happened to look to the south through a break in the trees, and I was stunned. The sky there was bright orange. Photoshop orange. I doubt if I've even seen a sunset with such a bright orange. It was majorly unsettling, especially when I looked at my clock and saw that it was 8:45, way too late for the sun to be setting.

Once at Melissa's I found the perfect outfit. Hurrah! Of course, she had her TV on, and one of those emergency broadcast ribbons popped up on the screen, announcing a tornado warning in the counties south of Fort Worth. Gah. It was just starting to drizzle as I left the garage, but before I'd even gone a block, it started pouring. The wind was ridiculous. I decided to just try to make it home, as it's just a 10 minute drive, but good gravy, it was scary.

Branches were ripped off of trees, lightning was larger and brighter than I'd ever seen it, and the rain was coming down so hard that my windshield wipers wouldn't go fast enough for me to see clearly. The wind buffetted my car with such force that I started imagining losing control of my car and being whisked away. I mentally thanked my parents for insisting I get a huge car, because I dread to imagine how a lighter weight car would have fared. I belted out "Singing in the Rain" over and over to focus and to prevent myself from realizing how terrified I was. As I drove, it almost seemed as though I was some power leech, because just as I passed by buildings and streetlights, the power would go out. This happened three times. It was so strange. When I finally got to the house, I was relieved to see that the lights were still on, but then I glanced down to look in my rearview and sideview mirrors to make sure it was safe to turn into my driveway. Lightning flashed, and when I looked up again, all the light in my neighborhood was gone. Just great.

I went to the kitchen first and found our little candle lighter so that I'd actually be able to see. Unfortunately, yhe stupid thing was childsafe, which meant it was virtually impossible for anyone to use. Keeping it lit was a major annoyance. Then, I went to my room, where I knew I had a flashlight. Using that flashlight, I found more flashlights and some candles. I lit two in the dining room and sat down to finish A Hat Full of Sky and wait for my parents to get home. We all turned in early.

And that's all I have to say about that.